James Wilson King

James W. King
King during the American Civil War
Chief of the Bureau of Steam Engineering
In office
March 23, 1869 – March 14, 1873 (1869-03-23 1873-03-14)
Preceded byBenjamin Franklin Isherwood
Succeeded byWilliam Willis Wiley Wood
Personal details
Born
James Wilson King

(1819-08-26)August 26, 1819
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
DiedJune 6, 1905(1905-06-06) (aged 85)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Military service
Allegiance United States
BranchUnited States Navy
Years of service1844–1881
RankEngineer-in-chief
Wars

James Wilson King (August 26, 1819  – June 6, 1905) was an American Navy Officer. He served as Chief Engineer of the United States Navy. During his career, he held every position in the Navy to which an engineering officer could be called. Today, he is best known for his 1880 book, The Warships and Navies of the World, which has been called "an important book to establish reliable contemporary information." It was republished by the U.S. Naval Institute in 1982.